Though
he was unconditionally released from prison in 1924 following severe illness,
Gandhiji refused to take part in active politics. Between 1922 and 1930, for
eight long years he did a penance of a different kind – he gave his time and
energy to the propagation of khadi; to bring about Hindu-Muslim unity and for
the upliftment of the depressed classes whom he described as Harijans,
Children of God. Some of his colleagues including Motilal Nehru and C. R. Das
opted to return to municipal, provincial and legislative councils. Under the
Act of 1919 which was implemented in 1921, the number of elected members was
raised and Indians could hold office as ministers in charge of minor
departments. C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru contended that by entering the
legislatures they could air public grievances and also carry on with
non-cooperation by obstructing the government within the legislature.
Gandhiji did not oppose his friends who formed the Swaraj party, fought
elections and entered legislatures. He only asked them to support his campaign
for clothing every Indian in khadi.
He toured the length and breadth of the country promoting khadi. At meetings
he would say, "I have come here to do business, to collect money for the
spinning wheel and khadi and to sell khadi." Between 1924 and 1927, to use an
expression current then, Gandhiji 'spun khadi, drank khadi, ate khadi.'
Some of his friends accused Gandhi of taking the khadi issue too far.
Defending Gandhiji's obsession for khadi his close associate Chakravarti
Rajagopalachari addressing a meeting in Ahmedabad said : "In India there are
thousands and tens of thousands of villages where men do not get more than 2 1
rupees a month. There is no use shedding tears for them if we won't wear a few
yards of khadi which they have manufactured and want us to buy so that they
may find a meal. If our hearts were not made of stone we would all be wearing
khadi. Khadi means employment for the poor and freedom for India…"